Favorite Schools

Favorite Teams

Marijuana boosts Colorado's tax revenue and other pot-related headlines from this week

Marijuana Taxes.JPG

In this Feb. 14, 2014, file photo, pot store employee Sam Walsh informs a first time customer about different strains of marijuana, a white board listing prices and sales tax, inside the retail shop at 3D Cannabis Center, in Denver. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced on Feb. 19, 2014 a plan to start spending nearly $100 million in marijuana tax money, the first signal of how much Colorado is reaping from recreational pot sales and what it plans to spend the money on.
((AP Photo/Brennan Linsley))

What does an economic boom, a girl scout and Popeye's favorite snack have in common? Marijuana, of course. In the same week Quinnipiac University released a poll that found 88 percent of New York state voters support legalizing medical marijuana use, the drug made plenty of headlines as it remains legal in some states and banned in others. Here's a roundup of this week's top marijuana-related stories from around the nation.

Colorado: Tax revenue boom

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper released a budget proposal Wednesday that estimated the state's marijuana industry could reach $1 billion in sales in the next fiscal year, $610 million of which coming from recreational sales, The New York Times reports. Retail sales of the drug began Jan. 1 and the market far exceeds tax expectations. Hickenlooper's proposal outlines plants to spend around $99 million next fiscal year on substance abuse prevention, youth marijuana use prevention and other priorities, the Associate Press reports. The money would come from the state's 12.9 percent sales tax on recreational marijuana.

California: The business-savvy Girl Scout

In San Francisco on Monday, 13-year-old Danielle Lei and her mom, Carol, sold boxes of Tagalongs, Samoas and other Girl Scout cookies outside a medical marijuana clinic, The Green Cross. The ploy worked successfully as Danielle sold 117 boxes of cookies in two hours--37 more than what she sold during the same period outside a small Safeway the next day, her mom told Mashable. The Girl Scouts of Northern California had no problem with Danielle's location. "The mom decided this was a place she was comfortable with her daughter being at," Dana Allen, director of marketing and communications for Girl Scouts of Northern California, told Mashable. "We're not telling people where they can and can't go if it's a legitimate business." The Green Cross has welcomed Danielle and her mom back this Saturday to sell more cookies from 4 to 6 p.m.

Washington: Recreational pot stores coming soon

State regulators moved Wednesday to limit the size and number of marijuana farms it will allow to serve the state's recreational cannabis market, citing the need to prevent excess supply from illegally leaving the state, Reuters reports. Washington and Colorado legalized recreational marijuana use in 2012. Colorado's first recreational pot stores opened in January, and Washington plans to begin licensing retail pot stores in June. On Tuesday, the state's Liquor Control Board said it would issue licenses to pot businesses even in areas where local bans are in effect. Cities that have bans in place include Yakima, Wenatchee, and unincorporated areas of Pierce County.

Alaska: Recreational pot legalization may be coming soon

The largest state in the U.S. could become the third to legalize recreational marijuana use. State elections officials posted data that showed 31,593 signatures qualified signatures in favor of recreational marijuana use meet legal thresholds to put the issue before voters, USA Today reports. The petition is expected to appear on the Aug. 19 primary ballot once it's officially certified. Mason Tvert, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project, told USA Today Alaska is poised to become the third state to vote to legalize pot, citing an independent poll from a year ago that showed a majority of Alaskans surveyed supported making marijuana legal, along with regulation and taxation.

Highway Patrol officers seized around 1,000 pounds of marijuana in a big rig carrying spinach that headed eastbound on Interstate 40 in Flagstaff on Tuesday, the Arizona Daily Sun reports. After pulling the truck over for an equipment violation, the officers took the truck to a Wal-Mart to use the store's loading dock to remove the marijuana from the trailer. The driver and another person were arrested and jailed for various drug charges.

Have something to say? We encourage and welcome your participation in the discussion of issues affecting Central New York. Send us a letter at letters@syracuse.com or follow the conversation on Twitter at @CNYOpinion.